HELIOS Spring 2025 Newsletter

the HELIOS Lab

at the UCI Department of Family Medicine

Spring 2025 Newsletter

the HELIOS lab at UCI is a research and professional development program to support undergraduates in their journey to become physicians and other health professionals advancing health for all in medically underserved communities.

Click to play video of HELIOS student testimonials

Click to see a video message from the students of the HELIOS lab

In the Spring, we gear up for three important annual milestones in our lab.

First, we complete our research Microprojects to advance our dual mission of health system transformation and professional development. Our students will be presenting their work to academic, clinical and community audiences at events around the region and across the nation.
Second, we prepare for UCI Giving Day on April 22—our main fundraising effort for the year—to support conference travel, professional development resources and other key supports for our student members. See our video above for a glimpse of where your support has helped our students!
Third, we anticipate the joyful moment of graduation for our seniors who we recognize at our Annual Banquet.

Scroll down to see what
we’ve been up to!

Member Spotlights: Microprojects

Every year, our student leaders engage in Microprojects—small projects that can be completed in a short time with lean funding to generate evidence for a more responsive healthcare system while accelerating our students’ professional development as future clinician leaders. Some Microprojects build on HELIOS’s NIH-funded research. Others emerge from collaborations with clinician partners and community-based organizations.

This year’s Microprojects will be presented at academic, professional and community venues including the 2025 UCI UROP Undergraduate Research Symposium on May 16 2025 at the Bren Events Center. Projects include:

Coping with Food Insecurity: Mixed-Methods Study of Hypertensive Adults in a Medically Underserved Community

Sai Tulugu (depicted), Laura Renero with Gilberto Osuna-Leon (PRIME-LC Medical Student mentor)

Can I Afford to be Healthy? Economic Tradeoffs in Hypertension Self-Management

Angyelisa Hernandez

Bridging the Gap: How Patient-Centered Care Improves Medication Adherence in Latinx Hypertensive Patients

Naomi Ferrer (depicted), Valeria Lopez Duarte

Patient Perspectives on Insulin Self-Titration

Mario Camacho II (depicted), Amber Huesca, Justin Urquiza with Dr. Sheila Malekian (Physician Mentor)

Health Literacy and Its Impact on Medication Adherence

Stacy Segura

Assessing the Validity of Self-Reported and Objective Nonadherence Measures for Hypertension Management in Spanish-Speaking Latinx Adults

Kimberly Rodriguez (depicted),
Marissa Ruiz

The Role of Interpreter Services in Supporting Hypertension Self-Management

Amanda Arevalo (depicted), Jocelyn Vielma-Garcia with Drs. Randy Galan and Alejandro Barrios (Physician Mentors)

Click to see bios of all our student members!

Professional Development

The HELIOS Enrichment committee brings speakers and activities into our weekly lab meetings to support the professional development of our members. Recent highlights include:

CV Workshop

HELIOS Member and UC3P PRIME Fellow Monica Rodriguez led our students in a workshop to create an effective CV and resume—building a bridge to professional opportunities.

UC3P Research Networking Event

HELIOS Members Mario Camacho II, Marissa Ruiz and Natalie Aguilar represent our work to over 120 students at this UC PRIME Prehealth Pathways (UC3P) event.

UC PRIME Statewide Conference

HELIOS participated as volunteers and as participants at this statewide conference bringing together the entire network of UC PRIME Medical School Programs, hosted by UCI’s PRIME LEAD ABC and PRIME-LC programs.

SNMA/LMSA Prehealth Conference

HELIOS members cultivated their knowledge and their networks at the premiere pre-health professional development conference in the region.

Antleaders Mini-Retreat

The HELIOS lab relies on near-peer leadership from post-bachelor’s team-members including PRIME Fellows, UCI School of Medicine Postbaccalaureate Program students, and others to drive our projects and our student members’ growth. These student leaders, known as Antleaders, convened for a mini-retreat to set the direction for the lab. From left to right: Tanya Honey, Daniella Garcia, Jeffrey Garcia, Denice Segovia, Dr. B., Juan Carlos Salinas, Bryant Andrade and Marianne So.

Community Engagement

The HELIOS Engagement committee organizes opportunities for our members to learn and to serve in our communities. Some recent highlights include:

UCI FHC Santa Ana Patient Outreach

With the support of the UCI Family Health Center leadership, including Dr. Jose Mayorga and Leanne Funada, and Population Health Team Lead (and HELIOS alum!) Iris Duran, HELIOS members support patient education and outreach in English and Spanish every week at UCI Health’s Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) sites.

Jeffrey Garcia (far left) with a cohort of patients graduating from the UCI Diabetes Group Medical Visit class, an 8-week series led by Dr. Nafiseh Khodaparast (center, in green) at the UCI FHC Anaheim. This series is sponsored by the UCI/OC Latino Diabetes Alliance under the stewardship of Dr. Alpesh Amin and UCI Foundation Trustee Mr. Dean Yoost, and is supported by HELIOS students.

Laura Renero and Naomi Ferrer engaged in patient outreach in Spanish and English, sharing resources and health information in the UCI Health Family Health Center in Santa Ana.

Patient Focus Groups

The “L” in HELIOS stands for “Listening”. For this reason, we talk with our patients and communities every chance we get. HELIOS students conduct focus groups and listening sessions with patients. Depicted above is a recent focus group discussion, led by HELIOS mentor Gilberto Osuna-Leon and HELIOS member Sai Tulugu, on the ways some of our Spanish-speaking patients cope with rising grocery prices and economic pressures while managing a chronic health condition.

NIH Undiagnosed Diseases Network Community Advisory Board

HELIOS Members Sai Tulugu and Mario Camacho II welcome community leaders and stakeholders supporting the NIH Undiagnosed Diseases Network (UDN) program in the UDN Spring Community Advisory Board Meeting.

Fostering Connection

The HELIOS Social Committee helps build the personal and professional support network of mentors and peers that are the foundation for making community impact. Highlights include:

Lunar New Year

HELIOS members Jocelyn Vielma Garcia, Naomi Ferrer and Bryant Andrade celebrate the Year of the Snake at UCI’s Lunar New Year Celebration at the Irvine Barclay Theater

UCI Basketball

HELIOS members and mentors brought their best “Zot!” and cheered the UCI Irvine Women’s Basketball team to victory over CSU Long Beach at the Bren Events Center

Alumni Spotlights

Match Day 2025

Congratulations to HELIOS alums and mentors as they matched to top-tier residency programs across the country on Match Day 2025! Depicted (left to right) are HELIOS alumnae Alexis Pellecer (UCI PRIME-LC Medical Student class of 2025) and Helena Stevenson (UCI PRIME LEAD ABC Medical Student class of 2025)).

Also shown are HELIOS mentors Ariceli Alfaro (UCI PRIME-LC Medical Student class of 2025, right) and Devan Peterson (UCI Medical Student class of 2025, below) who matched to top flight programs! Both Ariceli and Devan completed NIH/NIDDK funded T32 Research Fellowships with HELIOS.

Message from our PI, Dr. Billimek

Save the Date: UC Irvine Giving Day 2025 - Double Your Impact!

Research shows that the “little things” like the flexibility to participate in internships, funding to attend professional conferences, and access to transportation, professional attire and test prep resources can become big obstacles for first-generation students on their journey to the health professions. That’s why HELIOS turns to our network of friends, supporters and alumni to raise money for the “little things” and clear the path for our students to do BIG things for decades to come!

Mark your calendars for UC Irvine's annual Giving Day on April 22. Donna and I will be matching all donations dollar-for-dollar up to $1,500. This means your gift to the HELIOS Lab will have twice the impact, helping us reach our goals and support our vital programs twice as fast!

Stay tuned for more details on how you can participate and help us make this Giving Day the most impactful yet. Together, we can create a lasting impact for UC Irvine and our community. Go Anteaters!

Can’t wait and want to make your donation today? Please visit: givingday.uci.edu/HELIOS

-Dr. B.

Donate here!